Gayle King, who has been the face of CBS News‘ morning show for more than a decade, is expected to depart as an anchor of the morning program next year, according to four people with knowledge of the situation. King may shift to a different role at the news division that is being thoroughly overhauled under the new Paramount Skydance regime.
King’s existing contract is set to expire in May. There are signs CBS would like her to stay on board with the news division, potentially with a deal to produce her own programming for the network. Norah O’Donnell, who previously anchored “CBS Evening News,” stepped down from that role in January and transitioned to being a senior correspondent for CBS News, contributing to a range of programs and coverage.
The negotiations are about to ensue just as Paramount is cutting ties with dozens of staffers at CBS News and hundreds more across the larger company. King would be the latest in a parade of top CBS talent to leave their current roles as the company’s corporate ownership shifts from the Redstones, the former controlling shareholders, to the Ellisons, who have expressed a desire to move CBS News away from content they feel tilts too hard toward the liberal. Bari Weiss, a digital entrepreneur who launched the conservative opinion site The Free Press, was named editor in chief of CBS News earlier this month. King’s future at the division is high on the list of issues that Weiss needs to address.
In response to Variety‘s request for a comment about King’s future at ‘CBS Mornings,” a CBS News spokesperson said, “There have been no discussions with Gayle about her contract that runs through May 2026. She’s a truly valued part of CBS and we look forward to engaging with her about the future.” An attorney for King, Lawrence Shire of Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
As the Ellisons tightened their grip on Paramount, CBS has made significant changes. CBS canceled its signature late-night program, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which will end in May, ahead of the official sale of Paramount to Skydance Media. And the network is parting ways with John Dickerson, one half of the current anchor team of “CBS Evening News.” On Wednesday, CBS News said it would overhaul its Saturday-morning program, and cut ties with its co-anchors Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson, as well as the show’s executive producer, Brian Applegate. Lisa Ling and Nikki Battiste are among the other well-known staffers who will leave.
Moving King is a risky maneuver, especially because morning-TV is built on the relationships viewers build with the hosts. If audiences feel King was pushed out for no good reason, they could be ripe for the picking by rivals like NBC’s “Today” or ABC’s “Good Morning America.” NBC News has discovered this challenge twice over years. Audiences didn’t warm to Deborah Norville when she became co-anchor of “Today” in 1989 because they perceived she had bumped the previous co-host, Jane Pauley. And viewers were disenchanted with “Today” in 2012, when Ann Curry was pushed from her co-anchor role after producers became concerned about the rapport between her and co-host Matt Lauer. Viewers, however, didn’t feel the same way, and “Today” continued to lose audience and ratings following her exit.
At the same time, CBS’s morning programs have long run in third place behind NBC and ABC, despite multiple changes of format and the talent behind the early-hours desk. “CBS Mornings” lured an average of just 1.8 million viewers during the five days ended October 20, according to data from Nielsen. During that same time frame, ABC’s “Good Morning America” captured an average of nearly 2.71 million, while NBC’s “Today” attracted an average of nearly 2.69 million. Paramount Skydance executives recruited Weiss to bring more energy to the CBS News programming schedule and CEO David Ellison has said he wants to appeal to a broader set of viewers across the nation.
King, who first entered a deal at CBS News in November 2011 and joined “CBS This Morning” the following January, has held forth in morning TV for 14 years — no small feat in the current media landscape. CBS gained some traction with her first program, “CBS This Morning,” which she worked on alongside Charlie Rose and Norah O’Donnell. When Rose left after allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied, King helped moved the show forward alongside Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil, then Dokoupil and Nate Burleson. The show is now known as “CBS Mornings.”
With the economics of news less certain with viewers moving to streaming and social media for their early facts, traditional TV-news venues have been parting ways with veteran anchors and correspondents or moving them into less costly positions. CBS’ O’Donnell, NBC News’ Hoda Kotb and Andrea Mitchell and Fox News’ Steve Doocy are among those who have shifted out of prominent daily anchor jobs in favor of new roles that keep them tethered to their networks, but give them less regular screen time. Veterans who have left their news employers over the past year include CNN’s Chris Wallace and Alisyn Camerota and Fox News’ Neil Cavuto.
Meanwhile, NBC News and CNN are among the outlets that have cut or rearranged positions as they seek to move into new digital distribution models
King has created several landmark moments during her tenure. In 2019. she drew major attention for her interview with R. Kelly, keeping her composure as the singer-producer rose from his seat and shouted at her while denying the charges of child sexual abuse that later put him in prison. Earlier this year, King traveled to space on a Blue Origin flight alongside a crew of all female astronauts, including Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez and others.
She has also helped CBS News cultivate a relationship with Oprah Winfrey, a close friend who has been a supporter of King since the two worked together earlier in their respective careers. For a time, King helped run Winfrey’s magazine published by Hearst, and would leave her morning-show duties for a full day of magazine work in the late morning and afternoon.
Selome Hailu contributed to this story.
